Bill Babler

D. You got to give us more info than that. What was the bait, how were you fishing it, and what location. I don't think anyone will infringe on your water, so spill your guts.

Men, your partisipation on this site is fantastic and we really appreciate it. The back of a boat is sometimes a very poor way to garner information. 90% of the time if you are a local or have fished the pond very much, you know as much as the guy on the trolling motor, who works a 9 to 5 and just has the bucks to spend on the big ticket boat and the tournament top fees. If you are lucky enough to get the full time pay for play guys its great. Most times not. If there is a full field in the tournaments, there are really only about 20 guys that have a shot. You don't draw one of those, enjoy the day not getting any fishing water out of the back of a $50,000 boat. Lake O, Grand, The Rock, Truman and most of the ARkie lakes have guides that fish them every day that just want nothing more than to see you catch fish and to learn ya how to do it. You ain't gettin that in the back seat of a Heartland Tournament Boat. You are on your own, and you better know how and what you are doing when you get there, with out any help from the dude in the front. You better be great at fishing used water and be very adept at doing something different than the guy in the front, unless he is completely incompitent. Most times he is. There are enough who are really good however to make any of these local derby's very tough. If you are dragging or fishing out of the back of a boat on the rock and are dragging anything except a green pumpkin 4 inch fish Dr. you are in trouble. Sometime a 4 inch mini lizzard will get some att. but for the most part they love the Dr. On the Rock, from the back fish the Dr. or a PBJ jig. in the rivers and a stick this time of year in the clear water. If your pro is catching fish you will too, even on used water.

Thought maby since you didn't get them really good Brian, that I was helping. I'll just keep my my shut from now on. Didn't mean to offend. Sometimes it's hard to tell how much information to give on this forum. I tend to overdue. Not to speak down to anyone but to offer as much assistance as I can. Sometime it comes out different than the intention. I'll try to do better in the future.

BOBO, glad you won, but your kind of scaring me. Like SK, I have not seen any LMB in recient years. Lets just hope your big girl had, had a tough winter. Thanks for the report appreciate it. One question. Did that big fish come off a cedar? For some reason, I have caught some pretty rough fish off cedars early in the year. I know there is a reason, and will do a little research on it. What do you think SK?

I am going to cut you guys in on a pretty big seceret. All the guides in the mid-lake section are doing nothing but sight fishing. We are moving some and keeping the trout in sight at all times. Big schools of stockers are just roaming the flats from below Cooper Creek to about Roark Creek, you just have to look for them. They are swimming only a foot or so under the surface and look like black clouds in the water. They are also midging extremely heavy. They are so easy to find, it is ridiculas. If you see a congreation of guide boats, we are there for a reason, look at what we are doing. I am litterly standing on my trolling motor chasing these shcools, from one side of the river to the other. It is just kind of a turkey shoot, you throw the baits infront of the schools and they just swim thru your offerings and bam!!! At one stretch yesterday we had 18 doubles in a row. The only problems we had were other fisherman running their motors thru the schools of fish and pushing them back to the bottom. They just had no idea the fish were there and were really not paying attention to the water. I AM ALWAYS LOOKING FOR FISH, NOT LOCATIONS. THEY LIVE EVERYWHERE AND NO WHERE, THEY ROME. Did talk to another guide that fished from Clay Banks thru Lilley's and said he struggled pretty much all day. Arkie, the browns for the most part came off some of the old grass beds from the old business 65 bridge to about bass pro. We were following the stocker schools and caught the browns. Think maby they were following the stocker schools too!

Again today, due to no fault of my own, we got seriously bit mid-lake. Lots of guide traffic,and everyone catchen-em. Talked to 4 different guides and most trips netting between 40 and 60 fish 1/2 day with most fish in the 13 to 18 inch catagory. Also spoke to Leanord and he fished Roark. Caught a 20 plus inch Brown. Who gave him permission to be that far from the dam? Guess its ok as he gave me a few bugs in retrebution. Kind of like trading beads to the Indians. I think he even caught the fish during daylight hours. Could be a first. Thru God's good graces, we had 4 browns today from 19 to 23 with 3 over 20. Clients took pic's and just didn't want to keep the fish out of the water longer for me to also photo them as they were pretty pooped. All came on 64th oz sculpin jigs on 2 pound test on long rods. Good to catch them with, hard to get them to the boat and released in a timely fasion. Didn't think they needed any more wallering around for me to photo.

I'm not in the Derby, I am booked full on guide trips thru mid-nextweek. You have heard the saying a bird in the hand is worth how many in the bush? Lots of the tournament guys work real jobs or have money too burn, I am not one. Any time I can put guide work together, I have to take it. Local Derby fishing is very seldom a money maker and I promised my wife when I took this job I was in it to try and make a living. Myself and Tim Sainato won the Heartland tournament buddy series a few years ago, and not only won the series, but came in 3rd. in the national fish-off. It was a breakeven proposition. for the both of us. About $10,000 buck apiece and thats what it cost us to fish it with fees and missed guide trips. I for the most part fish for fun and seeing people have fun and not stress. Tournaments are not fun, they are going to work. If you want to win you will treat it as such. Most of the Derby's now you need to travel and fish the entire series to do well and the time commitment is unbelieveable. Even on the regional level. I will just stay at home and keep hammering on our home town fish, hoping I can get folks bit from time to time. If I were fishing out of the back of a boat, depending on the location, I would not hesitate to throw the rogue in clear water or drag a rig in the stained water. Fully 40 percent of the time the guy in the back will do just as well as the pro in the front fishing the suspending stick. Unless you are fishing cedars, there is no advantage to the front of the boat while stickbait fishing. That is pretty evident by Bill Beck kicking my butt on two occosions from the back of my boat. Not in numbers, but he always has the big fish. Oh I forgot, he may be a better fisherman. Na!!!!! He is very good you know. Go get-em boys, it just is going to keep getting better.

All most all the Big Play for Pay boys were out today and will be out all week, trying to put together a pattern for the Big Fishing Derby's this weekend. One of Heartland Tournament Stops. Everyone was really crying. They could catch a few fish in the rivers on Jigs and warts, but most were just not what you need for a tournament placement or win. Main lake, a few on the stickbait, and they were the right kind, but no limits and most guys just maby catching 1 fish but some good ones 3.5 to 8 pound fish. At this time of year you usually need 21 plus lbs. to get the derby first prize, so we will see. You most always need 4 keeps, and a good 6 lb. kicker. Pete Winners did have a client catch a 10.45 day before yesterday. It was weighed at Big Cedar on certified scales and immediatly released in fine shape, I am told. Stickbait fish. Right now the key is just flat, find the wind. Find wind, find fish. No wind No fish. The Shad have seemed to stop dying in the dam to Kimberling City area, so that will be a help next week. I am on trout all week, but have the boys, keeping me in touch, as long as I don't get real specific. They have been a little crankie about that lately, as it seems the fish only bite every other day, and when they do, they don't want or need any help catchen-em. Beck's nephew spoke to some guys at the viola ramp last week and they said the only reason they were at Shell Knob, was they had read the reports on Ozark Anglers. I kind of took a whippin for that one.

Dennis, one of the best things I can tell you is to look for wind. If that water is flat and pretty and you think to yourself, man my wife would enjoy a day like this, then you are on a condition for the Rock that is just really hard to catch fish. Everyone struggled on Saturday, it was just horrible and the boat traffic was so heavy with all the bank prussure that the fish were just flat not going to bite. Look for banks with heavy chop or for the most part, any kind of breeze you can get. Main lake is still pretty much on a stick bait due to clarity, and surface temp. The river systems, you can fish with either a jig or crankbait. Crankbait and jig fish are shallow, you can parallel the bank and do ok with the crank. Jig fish in 6 to 15 ft. This is in the rivers. Main lake look for a windy bank and put the boat about a cast and a half off the bank. Jerk the stickbait down and twitch it back to the boat. Most fisherman, don't realize how far you need to be from the bank and are fishing to close. Usually your boat is sitting right on the fish. A good type bank last week, would have your boat sitting in about 30 ft. and you could cast a little over have way to the bank. If is very hard for people that don't fish clear water to do this as they can't believe the fish are out that far from the bank. They Are! They are just up in the water column crusing those windy locations. Purple over white still seems to be the best. There was a purple/chartruse bite for a short period, but I believe the purple and white are working better now. If you continue to have trouble, book Beck, Buster, Tim Paige, Mike Webb, Eric Prey, Pete Winners or any of the other fine Table rock guides for a half day and they will really clear it up for you. Good Luck

They just like you better. Besides, I have to net all your fish and that takes away from my quality fishing time.

IF I catch 25 I always say 20, don't want to appear to be bragging. So you caught me, I might stretch it from time to time, but not over once a week or so. Arkie had a Fab trip, we will leave it at that. And leave the Physics out.

So that's why we never go in your boat, is because you don't have a graph. I can see a Christmas Present will save me some gas. Buster hit it very hard up Long Creek today, and got the skunk. They have got to start soon.

Guys, I know that we have an excellent following of wade fisherman on this forum, but take a listen from one of the old timers that has been fishing this pond since the 7, I can't remember when. The fishing from Branson, to the base of the restricted area, and I flat don't care if you are using powerbait, night crawlers, any fly you can think of or a gold hook, without bait, is in my oponion at a level we have not seen since the 70's. These fish have been in here a couple of weeks now and they are mean, mean, mean! 14 inchers, no problem. 16 inchers, no problem. 18 inch fish, they are there. 20 inchers also have been stocked and I have seen them today on stringers coming from in front of the landing. We had at least 50 fish on my 4 hr. trip today, with very few under 15 inches and all were very acrobatic. High energy, High flyers. WE broke 4 off on 4 pound test, and the folks didn't seem to be putting that much prussure on em. They are just big and fight hard. We have had nothing like this in at least 20 years. You everyday wade boys, come and have a blast before they are gone. You can access these fish anywhere from Scotty's to Bass Pro, grab your long stick and come on down. Better yet, rent or put in your boat and get after them, it is a true blessing.

I would classify myself as a decient trout fisherman, but I have never caught 150 fish in 90 minutes. Even if I have 2 other great fisherman in the boat that is a real stretch, you have to play those fish a bit. I cannot tell you how impressed we are. Sounds like a great trip.

D. The spawn is not so much triggered by water temperature. The angle of light and light penetration is what generates the spawn. SKMO had a fancy word for it in an earlier post. AS the fish move shallower, the stickbait bite is still on somewhat, but the split shot rig, soft plastic jerk baits, sinkos, warts, and jigs are all better shallow water offerings than the stick. With all of the fish we caught yesterday, we still had two seperate periods of over an hour each when we caught zero, and had no bites. These fish are really located in very small stretches and they are really concentrated on those locations. In one stretch of bank no more than 100 yds. in length, we had in a 30 minute period 7 keeperss with the best 5 right at 18 lbs. Best advice is if you catch a fish on a spot, you can bet there are more there so work it a couple of different ways. Go down the bank with the stick bait and then go over it again with either a jig or a crank bait. Create a milk run between your two or three best spots and give them a couple or hours to regenerate and hit them again. These fish are really hungry and looking, and on the move. The reason they are on particular spots is because of the feed. Stay away from any dieing shad as you will totally waste your time, we did it again yesterday, Some of our best early season locations were covered with shad and we just could't get bit. Get away from the shad and boom.

The Beckster and I hit it for a few hours this AM. I am forbidden to say where or on what as I am on a very short leash after mentioning the Kings in a previous report. Met his nephew on the water and had a really good morning. Water temps are moving up in a very dramatic fashion, and had water from 47 to 52 degrees. Fished some pockets and alot of main lake, White River. The two boats convicted and then gave pardons to 23 keepers, up to 6.5 lbs. Not bad for 3 hillbilleys. I am now on complete retainer with Bill as everytime we fish he catches a big MAMA. Most all the fish were on a stickbait, but if the water keeps going like this, it won't last, as they will really move up. I am also his personal photographer, as here is a photo of the fish of the day. I am very good with a net and flash photography. I usually don't catch very many fish but whom ever I take does. If anyone requires these type of services you can book me thru Beck's Table Rock Guide Service. He does demand a small perdeim for all the advertisment he is giving me. Good Luck on the Rock.

Lady at the resturant at the knob this AM had heard they were catching some male whites and a few pretty nice eye's from Hickory Hollow to the 86 bridge. Very early and very late. Best gossip she had gotten was an 8 pound eye.

Appreciate the info. You can always learn something here.

Picked the folks up at Lilleys' with a tag boat in tow and headed for the dam at approx. 8:30 Am. Proceeded to the cable, but not above, and advised the tag boat to do the same. Spoke to a friend today that is with MDC Fisheries, Funny, the cable and set-back really has absolutely nothing to do with fishing regulations, but is designed as a safety feature to keep both boats and bank fisherman away from the dam, turbines and plant. Said the wording on the sign really needs to be changed from no fishing to Danger, No Admitance, Resticted Area. Was never meant to be a source of revenue, only a safety feature. Just giggled as I related the 3 ft. over the line cast. Mentioned there might be some higher priority issues on the lake, but he was not an enforcement officer. Over, is over and where MDC is concerned there is no gray area. However there were so many people fishing powerbait in the restricted area today, you would have thought that might have been a priority for them? I more than agree with Tightline on the subject. If you have never driven as much as 1 mile an hour over the speed limit, then you may throw a stone. He admitted his mistake and I think him a good man for it. We all make em, and Lord knows I make em everyday. Also saw at least 3 browns under 20 thrown in the cooler's, and several Bow's in the slot. Just lots of people up there messing up. Lots of people on the lake for that matter. Now the good stuff. 5 drifts from the cable to clay banks and at least 30 catch and release bows and browns on the 1/8 oz. white marabou for my boat. The tag boat did the same as it was really hot on the jig, till they shut her down. From 11 AM till 2:30 fished down town Branson and the fishing was just assume for big rainbows, in the 15 to 18 inch range. Clients ended the day with 4 each and the tag boats two men had their four each. Weighed the 16 bows before cleaning and the weight was 23 lbs. Spoke to the guys running the stocking boat and they were hitting it hot and heavy, stocking at Rockaway and below. Said the quality was not the same as the stocking last week, with this weeks offering being in the 10 inch class. Lots of the big stockers are still in the river, as we caught and released as least 25 more while we were throwing the smokers in the box. Great fishing for the next month at least. Good Luck All

You peaked my interest so I really started looking and found that Arkie, makes a 3/16th. Stand-up Football head. I thought that was probably what you were talking about. Dosen't matter what size, it sounds like it's working great for ya.

You picked a great time and an even better area for the stick. Good Luck

Lived at Shell Knob, for 15 years, and guide the area over 100 days per year and if I were going in July, I would not lock myself up at the end of the Kings River, under any circumstance. Stay away from the Kings unless you are a night fisherman, and then Its pretty good. In July, you want main lake K's. If at all possible, find one of the many resorts on the main White River arm of the lake. Ouail Cove would be great Hardmans Hollow Ok Play Port basic accom. but great access and super people Excellent accom and the best fishing in July, Probably Indian Hills. All have private launching ramps, docks and good accom. There are tons more as Shell Knob and Baxter are resort Meca's. You will be about a 45 minute drive to either Eureka Springs or Branson.

Jay, I have not been able to find a FB head that small. I would try one in that size if I could find it. If you don't mind, tell me what brand you are using? 1/2 is as small as I can seem to find from Jewel. March thru May is when everyone catches there biggest fish on the Rock. That's big fish time. It is the one time we have a chance at catching a real trophy, like your 5 and 6 pounders. Anyone would be proud of that type of quality. Sounds like you are doing really well, on the Rock. Also, a rattle at night I'm sure wouldn't hurt.

There is a couple of parts to this reply, and I'll start with the C-tail. The C-tail is a fantastic bait to start swimming on deep channel swings at this time of year for the next month or so. As water temps rise the fish will move up in the water column and suspend or cruise, starting on the channel swings where the channel comes to the bank. If pole timber is present you can swim these grubs thru the timber and for the most part fish them in locations you would fish the suspending jerk bait. I prefer either 1/4 or 3/16 oz heads on white or smoke color 4 inch grubs. You will loose some. I swim my grubs on 6lb. Some of the boys that fish Beaver in the Spring will use Smimming Minnows and Swim them on 4lb. As the water warms and these fish start to move to spawning location, nothing works better for Big Smallies than swimming these grubs on flat gravel, or gentle slopes of fist size rock. The reason we prefer the 5/16 head this time of year, are the fish are for the most part going to start to move shallow and the smaller head negotiates the crawfish hidey holes better than the football. Way less hangups. The origional purpose for the FB was to fish deep and maintain the jig on the bottom while either dragging it like a rig, or hopping it back to the boat. The round heads in lesser weight have a tendency to swim when fished in that 25 to 40 ft. range. Sometimes that is good however. I will be jerking the rogue's for another month at least, and I will live and die with it, unless I'm guiding and just flat have to get bit another way. Guiding and fun fishing are two seperate and completely different agendas. If I am fishing on my own, I try to bend them to my way of thinking. Does not always work. When we are guiding we will do what ever it takes and our absolute best to get the clients bit. I do take lots of guys this time of year that would rather catch 5 rouge fish a day instead of 20 any other way, or just want to learn a stick bait. Also take guys and gals in the Summer that only want the topwater bite early in the morning and as soon as its is over so are they. Could care less about catching a fish dragging a splitshot rig, or dropshotting. Most folks, however just want to have a great time and they don't care how or how many they catch.

In our super-clear water on the White River Chain of lakes, most do not add rattles. Under colored conditions during rains of off color water times they are easy to attach. 90% of Football jig fishing is done in either late Summer or Fall on the rock, not so much now thru August. The little 5/16 round head is usually the ticket from now thru Spring. Not saying the FB won't catchem, but most of us go to the little guy.